Photoprint ejector



Sept. 8, 1953 D, FERGUSON 2,651,244

PHOTOPRINT EJECTOR Original Filed Aug. l, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l J2SE-f' WMM@ Sept. 8, 1953 D. FERGUSON PHOTOPRINT EJECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. l, 1949 Minimi@ In;

nventor Sept. 8, 1953 D. FERGUSON 2,651,244

PHOTOPRINT EJECTOR Original Filed Aug. l, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 uam Fumes@ n Cttorneg Patented Sept. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,651,244 PHOTOPRINT EJECTOR Duard Ferguson, Los Angeles, Calif. substituted for abandoned application Serial No.

107,907, August 1, 1949. cember 19, 1951, Serial No.

Claims.

This application is a substitute for abandoned application Serial No. 107,907, led August 1, 1949.

'Ihis invention relates to automatic means to print photographs from a negative.

For the purpose of advertising, and other publicity, it is frequently necessary to run a great number of low cost prints from a photographic negative. 'Io facilitate this work, manually operated printers have been developed, and while such printers represent an advance over individualized treatment of a contact print, all manually operated printers of which I am aware, require that the sensitized paper be manually placed upon the negative, that a platen be manually lowered to pressurize the paper into contact with the negative, that thereafter the platen be manually lifted from functional position, and that the exposed paper be manually removed from contact with the negative.

This operation is slow and tedious for a number of reasons, among which may be mentioned, the inherent tendency of sensitized paper to curl in various and sundry places and shapes, so that it is difcult to lay the paper in proper Contact with a negative, while at the same time lowering the platen to hold the paper upon the negative.

Regardless of how dextrous an operator may be, the use of a manually operated printer is slow land tedious work at best, and is physically exhausting, especially when a large number of prints are run 01T in a limited time.

In contra-distinction to the afore-described operation, the only required manual operation in connecting with the use of the printer of this invention, is, that the sensitized paper be placed upon the negative, all other operations in connection with the exposure being automatic, thus the hands are free for but a single task, with a resulting increase of production, together with better prints because of uniformity of machine operation.

Accordingly, it may be considered that it is a prime object of the present invention to provide means to make contact photographic prints in substantially an automatic manner.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an improved platen construction wherein the paper and the negative are blanketed into a more uniform pressurized yet, yieldable surface contact than is feasible by hand operation.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of means to rmly and securely hold the paper in contact with the negative prior to This application Deswitch closing to energize the lamps for the eX- posure.

An advantage of the invention resides in increased production per unit of time or man hour as compared with methods heretofore used.

Another advantage of the invention resides in production of a more uniform and superior quality of print than has heretofore existed in rapid, mass production of photographic prints.

A further advantage of the invention resides in the fact that exposed paper is automatically renegative and delivered to a point printer to facilitate ultimate re- Inova-1 thereof without interfering with the duties oi the operator in feeding in sensitized paper for exposure.

combine the printing and developing operations f in producing photographic prints instead of the two or more persons heretofore printer cabinet; and,

Figure 3 is a top-plan view of the printer with the platen removed to better show construction otherwise hidden thereby.

Figure 4 is a view slip contact, followed by closing a switch for lighting the lamps for the exposure.

9 lease it to permit spring pressure return thereof with concurrent operation of the fingers for ejecting an exposed paper.

Figure G is a view similar to Figure 5, modified in that the paper ejecting carriage is now released by its actuating arm, the View is sequential to Figure 5.

1Figure FJ is a view showing a detail of construction involving the relationship between the operation of the platen and the lighting switch; while,

Figure 8 is a view sequential to Figure 'l showing the platen in full pressure contact with the paper and showing the switch as being closed in this position of the platen.

Figure 9 is a detail taken along line @5l- 9, Figure S, showing the construction of the track: or rail upon which the paper ejector carriage is slidably moved to and from the paper ejecting position.

In the drawing the numeral iii indicates the automtaic printer of this invention, in which a cabinet or housing structure l l is shown as being substantially rectilinear in shape and which is transversely partitioned. at l2 to provide a compartment i3 for the operating mechanism, and a compartment lil for the exposure lamps i5 and related accessories.

The compartment lll is provided with a glass plate it which may be tinted with color for light filtering purposes if desired, or it may be used to support a light filtering material layed thereon to vary the quality and intensity of light upon the negative lll which rests upon the glass cover lil for the compartment lil, and which cover is supported by a collar or frame lil formed integrally with the cabinet i l.

A micro-switch 2% is secured upon the frame li? adjacent the cover ld, and is normally open, but is closable upon pressure contact with an adjustable screw 2i which moves with the platen press 222, as shown in Figures 'l and 8, while a two-way upon the front panel 2li of the cabinet is electrically placed between the switch 2S and the lamps l5 to enable an exposure to -be manually controlled to meet requirements based or predicated upon abnormally dense or thin negatives. The circuits involved in connection with the use of the aforementioned switches are simple and within the common knowledge of those familiar with lighting circuits, and for that reason have not been included in the drawing, only the incoming and out-going terminal wires 25 and 25a to the micro-switch 2@ and like terminal wires 2e and to the two-way switch 23 are shown.

A swingable door 2l is positioned upon the panel 2d of the cabinet to provide access to the lamps l5 or for other reasons, such as removing or changing the glass divider plate l5.

The platen press 22 is hingedly attached to the rear end of the cabinet, as shown, and cornprises a frame having a rail 2l to which the hinges 2id are attached, and a pair of arms or stiles 23 whichy extend forwardly therefrom for support of the platen i@ which, in turn, comprises a plate attached directly to the arms 2i?, andA upon which plate place a thick sponge rubber facing Iii for compressive contact with the sensitized paper 32, so that the beginning of a printing operation in a minimum pressure is at first applied to a'contact paper, but in sequence an increasingly greater pressure is applied thereto to insure complete and effective, non-slip contact between the entire surfaces of the paper and the negative prior to exposure of the paper.

The compartment i3 contains a constant speed motor 53 and speed reduction device Sii thereon which is operatively connected by any suitable driving means, such as a chain 35, to a shaft which is journalled in the side-walls of the cabinet ll and which extends through one of the walls thereof to be fitted with a wheel 3l in chain drive connection with the wheel 3% upon a shaft t@ which is journalled in bearings lo upon the inner surfaces of the walls M and 45 of the cabinet, and which extends transversely of and through the cabinet. The wheel 38 and a coinpanion wheel Bla upon the opposite end of the shaft 33, are provided with wrist pins il which are operable in slots 112 in the rocker arms 5.13 fulcrumbed upon the exterior side of the walls and d5, and which rocker arms are provided with adjustable links i5 which are swivelly connected to a rod 41 positioned in, and extending transversely of the arms 28 of the platen press, so that as the rocker arms oscillate in response to the motor 33, the plated press is also raised and lowered to and from a horizontal plane to hold the paper 32 uponA the negative Il, and to effect closure of the micro-switch 2&3.

After the paper 32 has been exposed it is necessary to remove it to a place of convenient access for developing, this I accomplish by means of a paper ejector A8 which includes a pair of shafts and et which are non-rotatably attached to slidable guide shoes 5l. The ends of the guides are folded over and under the raised edges of channel-like rails 52 which are secured upon aA frame 53 upon the walls 44 and 45 of the cabinet, and which extend substantially the full length thereof.

The shafts 49' and 5G are held in co-operable, spaced relationship by a pair of iron straps the one end of which is welded or otherwise secured to the shaft 5t, while the other oi the ends of the straps are looped at 54a, to be hingedly connected to the L-shaped paper ejecting fingers 55 by means of a pin 5G.

There are two of the lingers 55, which as stated are L shaped to form legs 55a and 5519. The legs '55a are provided with tubular sleeves Eil which are nxedly secured thereto and which are oscillatably positioned upon the shaft de which extends therethrough, so that upon being rocked by the straps 54 to which they are hingedly ccnnected, the rubber tipped leg 55h of the finger is raised and lowered to and from position to be in pressure Contact with the paper 32, as will hereinafter be described.

An arm 51 which is clamped upon the shaft 39 for rotation therewith, is adapted to intercept and push the shaft 5l), and hence the ejector carriage 48, forwardly upon its tracks to functional position upon each revolution thereoi, while an extensile spring 58 attached to the rear of the cabinet and to the shaft 5t is adapted to return the ejector carriage to its place of beginning, that is, nested within and in abutment with the looped end of a forwardly extending springable arm or stop Gl, and in s-o doing causes the ringer '55 to be reversely rocked upon the shaft it to lower the rubber tipped leg 55h thereof into pressure Contact with the paper 32, so that the paper is dragged inwardly across the glass plate with movement of the ejector carriage, to drop into the compartment I3 in substantially the manner indicated by the dotted lines and arrow B. The paper being later retrieved through the access opening ll a in the wall 45 of the cabinet.

The press is placed in operation as follows:

Upon closing the switch 60, the rocker arms 43 are caused to oscillate by reason of the intermediate power drive thereof, and such oscillation operating through the adjustable links 45, raises and lowers the platen press 22. Upon raising the platen press, the switch 60 may be opened to momentarily arrest the platen in raised position, thereafter, the two-way switch 23 is thrown in a direction which places one of its circuits in series with the micro-switch 20 to light the lamps l upon again lowering the platen.

A negative l1 is then placed upon the glass plate I8 and a sensitized paper 32 is placed upon the negative. The switch 60 is then closed to cause the platen to lower to functional position, that is, to hold the paper in contact with the negative during the exposure period.

During this movement of the platen, the face of the sponge rubber pad thereon will rst contact the paper, and as the platen moves progressively downward, the rubber is compressed in substantially the manner illustrated in Figures '1 and 8, so that upon attainment of maximum pressure upon the paper, the paper and negative are brought into full and complete face contact, and in this connection it is to be noted, that since the platen approaches the paper 32 in an angular inclination, even though slight, all air pockets are forced from between the paper and the negative, thus giving further assurance of perfect face contact therebetween.

During the initial stages of platen Contact with the paper, the arms of the platen press have not moved downwardly far enough to bring the screw 2| into contact with the closing element 20a of the micro-switch 2U, but as such movement develops, the switch 2D is closed to cause the lamps l5 to be lighted. The period during which the switch 2D is closed may be varied by running-down or raising the screw 2|, thereby actuating the switch earlier or later as may be required to obtain a variable length of illumination, depending upon the speed of the paper and the condition of the negative.

Concurrently with the afore-described movement of the platen and actuation of the switch 2D, and in timed sequence therewith, the shaft 3.9 rotates the arm 51, so that by the time the platen is released from pressure contact with the paper 32, the arm 51 pushes the ejector carriage 48 forwardly along its track, and in so doing places the spring 58 under tension. Forward movement of the ejector carriage causes the iinger 55 to be unbalanced, and in tipping forwardly raises the rubber tipped portion 55h in clearance of the paper 32. Upon release of the shaft 50 by the arm 51 (due to rotational movement thereof), the spring 58 withdraws the paper ejecting carriage from its forward position and in so doing rocks the finger 55 to its other extreme position which places the rubber tipped portion 55h thereof in frictional contact with the paper 32, so that the paper is carried therewith and is released as it passes over the inner edge of the plate i8 and falls into the compartment i3 from which it is retrieved through the access opening Ila in the side of the cabinet.

Repetitious movement of the platen enables new paper to be placed upon the glass plate i8 for exposure, and repetitious movement of the paper ejector withdraws exposed paper and deposits it in the compartment I3, for later developing.

Thus it will be seen that the sole duty of an operator of the printer of this invention, is to merely feed in raw or unexposed sensitized paper, the printer automatically taking care of all subsequent operations. It is also to be noted that since the platen is faced with sponge rubber, no harm can come to an operator who is late in withdrawing the hands from adjustment of the paper upon the negative, for the rubber yields around the flesh and only a sense of rm pressure is experienced.

Having thus described my invention in its presently preferred form, that which I believe to be novel and for which I seek Letters Patent, is:

l. In a photographic exposure apparatus including a housing therefor, an ejector for removal of sensitized photographic paper from a negative, said ejector comprising a pair of spaced and parallel guide rails on said housing, a frame adapted to sliding movement on said rails, a pair of L-shaped fingers fulcrumed on said frame and comprising paper contacting' elements and lugs, a strap hingedly connected to each of said lugs and to said frame, a power driven rotatable arm adapted to cyclically engage and slide said frame on said rails to a work position and spring means adapted to effect return sliding movement of said frame to its point of beginning intermediately of engagement by said rotatable arm, said straps being arranged to rock said lugs and raise said paper contacting elements in clearance of said sensitized paper in moving to a work position under pressure of said rotatable arm and being reversely moved into Contact with said sensitized paper in being returned to their point of beginning by said spring whereby an exposed photographic paper is carried from a place of exposure to a repository.

2. The combination in a photographic printer including a frame therefor, of an ejector to remove sensitized photographic paper from a negative contact after exposure thereof, said ejector being formed of a pair of spaced and parallel rods having shoes on the ends of each thereof, a pair of spaced and parallel rails upon said frame adapted to be engaged by said shoes for guided slidable movement thereon, a pair of bellcranks fulcrumed upon one of said rods, a paper grip cot upon one of the legs of each of said bell-cranks, a strap hingedly connected to the other of the legs of each of said bell-cranks and xedly connected to the other of said parallel rods, a power driven arm adapted to rotate and cyclically bear against the last mentioned of said rods in forward movement thereof including said straps whereby upon being so moved the associated leg of said bell-crank is rocked by inertia resistance to movement so as to raise said cots in clearance of said sensitized paper, and a spring connected to the last mentioned of the rods of the ejector to effect return movement thereof to its point of beginning, said bell-crank being reversely rocked by inertia resistance to movement so as to lower said cots into engagement with a sensitized paper and effect dragging thereof from a photographic negative to a place of deposit.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 in which the engaged sensitized paper is drawn rearwardly of the front of said printer for gravitational release from said paper grip cots.

4. The structure set forth in claim 2 in which a repository within the frame of said photographc printer is located rearwardly of the place of exposure of said paper.

5. The structure set forth in claim 2 in which a repository within said photographic printer is located rearwardly of the place of exposure of said paper, said repository being accessible from one of the sides of the frame of the printer for removal of exposed sensitized paper therefrom.

8 References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Lev Nov. 28, 1916 Rekers Oct, 7, 1924l Lyans Oct. 13, 1925 Pupke Nov, 5, 1935 Prion Nov. 23, 1937 Schade et a1. Mar. 20, 1945 Grogan Aug. 19, 1947 

